The Call
"The Call" is a two-parter of , composed of the forty-sixth and forty-seventh episodes. Part I originally aired on November 11, 2000 and Part II on November 18. Terry is initially dazzled when Superman appears and offers him membership in the Justice League Unlimited. However, he is troubled by the hostility from the other Leaguers, and further troubled when Superman confides that he suspects one of them is a traitor. Plot Part I In Metropolis, a commuter monorail loses control and starts speeding down the wrong track, on a collision course with another. Micron boards the train and manages to uncouple the passenger cars and evacuate the engineer to safety. However, as soon as Micron tries to exit the train, a force field pops over the door, making it impossible for him to escape. In the ensuing crash, Micron is badly wounded. .]] In Gotham City, Batman is chasing down Inque. Inque catches sight of a nearby civilian, and wraps herself around him to hold him hostage. However, the 'civilian' remarks "I'll take it from here, Batman" and spins at inhuman speed, splattering Inque in all directions, and revealing himself to be Superman — a bit older, a bit grayer, but still as strong and active as ever. Terry is awestruck. The two return to the Batcave. Bruce is not interested in reminiscing, and asks Superman point-blank what he wants. Superman, used to Bruce's style, responds that he wants to offer Terry membership in the JLU. Terry is taken aback, but accepts Superman's invitation to visit the Watchtower. Terry's arrival is immediately greeted with hostility from Big Barda and Warhawk. Terry receives a civil but no less suspicious reception from Kai-Ro and Aquagirl. Superman insists that his decision in final. In private, he confides to Terry that he suspects one of the League of trying to sabotage and kill the others. He shows Terry Micron, who is recuperating in a stasis tank, explaining that he was trapped by a method that only an insider would know to use. Terry is reluctant to suspect Earth's greatest heroes, but begins reviewing the files of each League member. Marina (Aquagirl) appears and apologizes for her initial coolness, and invites Terry to join her on her training swim. Terry politely declines. Once she is inside the tank, it malfunctions and begins to overheat. Terry sees the camera focused on the tank has gone blank, rushes down, and sees her in trouble. When his initial attempts to break open the door fail, he rushes back to the training room, seizes Barda's Mega-Rod from her hand, then runs back and blasts the door open, flooding the antechamber with water and rescuing Marina. But she has been injured, and Barda berates Terry for acting without the others. Just then, a distress call comes, saying that a large portion of the city is threatened by a series of explosions. The League, including Terry, helps save civilians and minimize the damage. Terry is accompanying Warhawk, who says that he is receiving another distress call. Terry, confused, says he is not receiving anything. Warhawk dismisses this and tells Terry to stay behind, while he flies up to meet the threat — an incoming ballistic missile. Terry ignores him and follows along in the Batmobile. Warhawk seals his armor and clamps onto the missile, pushing it off course. Then the missile explodes, apparently taking Warhawk with it. The rest of the team is stricken. In the Batcave, Bruce reviews the footage from the Batmobile's recorder. Terry speculates that the missile must have been on some kind of timer, and Warhawk was unlucky, but Bruce doesn't believe it. He applies a spectral analysis, which shows the missile being hit by a beam of some kind just before it exploded. He tracks the beam back to its source: Superman's heat vision. Terry cannot believe it. Bruce goes to a hidden corner of the Batcave and unlocks an ultra-high-tech security system, giving Terry his only recourse: a container with a small sliver of Kryptonite. Even though the radiation might be fatal to Superman, Bruce orders Terry to do whatever necessary to stop him. Part II Terry shows the footage to the rest of the League, excluding Superman. Barda refuses to believe it, instead suspecting Terry of fabricating it. But then Warhawk appears, alive and well. He confides that he became suspicious, and what tackled the missile was an empty suit of armor, remotely controlled. He's also gained new respect for Terry, and believes his suspicions of Superman. The team confronts Superman, caught in the act of tampering with Micron's stasis field. Superman denies their accusations. Marina steps forward to touch his chest, wanting to check him telepathically, then an alien eye peeks out of a hole in the chest of his tunic, and Superman attacks. The others are no match for him, and Terry is about to use the Kryptonite, but hesitates, and it is knocked out of his hand. Micron, awakened from stasis, seizes hold of Superman. Superman breaks free and flies away. The others speculate that he has escaped to the Fortress of Solitude, but none of them know where it is. However, Bruce does. The team boom-tubes to the Fortress, and find Superman waiting. After a brief fight, Terry manages to disable him with the Kryptonite. Pulling off his tunic, they see a starfish-like creature planted on his skin. Marina connects telepathically with it, and learns its story: Several centuries ago, it occupied an aquatic world, but was abducted from its home by the Preserver, who later tried to adopt Superman (and Lobo), but Superman broke free and sent the Preserver into space to his death. Later, Superman adopted the collection of creatures and housed them in the Fortress. makes its move on Superman.]] One day, while Superman was feeding the star creature, it leaped onto his face and took control of his mind. It has been controlling him for years. The others ask why then has it waited so long before trying to kill the rest of them. Marina opens a door to another chamber, and sees hundreds, maybe thousands of the star creatures nesting in an underground pool; under the creature's direction, Superman was breeding them. There are now enough of them to possess a large portion of the planet. As they look closer, several other creatures jump out of the pool and attach themselves to the other Leaguers. Only Batman remains free, able to electrocute them off his suit. Superman is released, and the Kryptonite shard is flung away. The others attack Terry, who flees in the Batmobile, sent by Bruce. He suggests informing the military to ensure that the creatures don't escape. Superman pursues, while the others prepare to open an underwater door that will release the creatures into the ocean. .]] Superman catches up with the Batmobile and disables it with his heat vision. He confronts Terry, offering him a chance to "be one of us". Terry declines, luring Superman close enough to hit him with a grapple from the Batmobile that electrocutes the creature off his chest. Superman recovers, not remembering what he's been doing. Terry quickly fills him in as they fly back to the Fortress. Superman attacks, freeing Warhawk, Barda, and Kai-Ro from the mind control, while Terry dives into the pool to stop Marina opening the door. He is too late. Superman starts tearing huge rocks free and dropping them down, saying they have to block the exit at any cost, even if it means killing Terry and Marina. The others reluctantly aid him. They succeed in blocking the entrance, knocking out Marina, but Terry narrowly saves both her and himself. The League collects every last one of the creatures. Barda and Warhawk are all for exterminating them, but Superman refuses. Marina communicates with them, and discovers the location of their homeworld. Barda booms them back to their native ocean. Terry has now earned the heartfelt respect of the other Leaguers, who are eager for him to join. But Terry can't overlook that the others almost sacrificed him and Marina. Barda reminds him that joining will put him one up on "the old man", to which Terry coolly replies that maybe he and Bruce have something in common after all. As Terry walks away, Superman comments, "more than you think, son. More than you think.". Continuity * While talking to Terry on the phone, Bruce is shown in the garage, working on his third Batmobile. * The flashback sequence in Part II refers to the events of the episode "The Main Man, Part II", in which Superman and Lobo were kidnapped by the Preserver, and after which Superman adopted the Preserver's collection of alien creatures. * Likewise, the Serpent that Batman stumbles upon is the same that Superman and Lobo fought together in that episode. * When Bruce says Superman has gone rogue before, he is referring to the events of "Legacy". * Barda casually addresses Superman as "Kal", a possible indication that he has abandoned his alter ego as Clark Kent. Alternately, this is simply the name used by fellow Leaguers without compromising his secret identity. * Inque last appeared in the episode "Inqueling", where she apparently died of dissolution after being poisoned by her daughter. This episode (which was produced later) does not explain either how she survived, or whether she revenged herself on her daughter. * In this episode, Bruce expresses disdain for Boom Tubes. In the later made episode "Twilight", we can see that Batman experienced nausea after using the portal. * In "Tabula Rasa" Batman is shown to possess a hand-sized chunk of Kryptonite, which he carries around in his belt as "insurance". That chunk was pulverized by AMAZO, so it is not clear where the sliver used in this episode came from. * The file photo of Aquaman attached to Aquagirl's file matches his "original" appearance on , not his revamped appearance on and . It lists his status as "whereabouts unknown". * In the flashback, Superman is wearing his modified costume when he is first possessed by the creature, indicating that this event takes place after the last events of and . In a roundtable on the episode's , Will Friedle and Bruce Timm debated this point, Timm insisting that Superman was wearing his old costume, and thus raising the distressing possibility that he was possessed during some of the years. Friedle insisted otherwise, and turned out to be right. * Barda tells Terry that Bruce was never more than a part-time member of the League. The subsequent series and stay consistent with this fact. * Barda's file contains a photo of her in full-body armor, and a photo of her husband, Mister Miracle. Both would be prominently featured in the episode "The Ties That Bind". * This episode indicates that the location of the Fortress of Solitude is a secret Superman keeps even from the other members of the Justice League, but Bruce Wayne knows where it is. This is partially confirmed in the later-made episode "For the Man Who Has Everything", in which Wonder Woman and Batman visit the Fortress to celebrate Superman's birthday. * Also during that same episode, Superman uses his Kryptonian abilities to beat up Mongul. It's possible that Starro witnessed the fight firsthand. * Several of the JLU members featured here appear or are referred to in the episode "The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped". In this episode, the League has been almost entirely destroyed as a result of Chronos's tampering with time. Kai-Ro was reportedly killed by Chronos's henchwomen Dee Dee, and Warhawk and Terry are among the few surviving members. * Also during that that same episode, Warhawk is revealed to be Rex Stewart, the son of John Stewart and Shayera Hol. * Kai-Ro, Aquagirl, and Warhawk appear in Terry's dream sequence in "Epilogue", taking place fifteen years further in the future, indicating that they are still alive and active. Big Barda and Micron do not appear, but Bruce mentions Superman, confirming he is still alive and active. * Also during that same episode, Bruce refers to Superman as "Kent". This may be a reference to the Elseworlds miniseries Kingdom Come, in which Superman has turned his back on humanity and abandoned his human name, but an elderly Bruce Wayne insists on addressing him as "Clark" to remind him of his human upbringing. * When Terry comments that he and Bruce may have something in common after all, Superman remarks "more than you know, son". In "Epilogue", it is revealed that Bruce is Terry's biological father. Superman's comment may indicate he is aware of this somehow. This is one of three foreshadowing remarks about their kinship (see also "Disappearing Inque" and "Inqueling"). Background Information Production Notes * In the "Close-up On..." for Part I, Bruce Timm claims that they could not use Wonder Woman for the JLU line-up, so they used Big Barda as a substitute. * At the roundtable, Bruce Timm admits that Warhawk's survival is a "total cheat". He also says that there are many "logic flaws" throughout the whole episode. * The star creature is never named in the episode, but Bruce Timm and others on the episode roundtable refer to it as Starro. Starro, also called The Star Conqueror, is famous as the Justice League's first enemy. In its appearances in the comics, it has been variously portrayed as a gigantic starfish, or as a hive mind inhabiting millions of smaller starfishes, capable of possessing people. *At the time of episode "The Main Man", Starro's appearance wasn't meant to be anything but a cameo. * In Part II, when Superman is blasted through the Watchtower, there's an explosion that is reused footage from the scene of episode "World's Finest, Part III" in which one Wayne/Lex T-7 blows up another droid. * Superman is voiced by Christopher McDonald, who voiced Superman's father Jor-El on and later on . On the special feature, Bruce Timm said that, although Tim Daly was available, the producers chose to use McDonald's voice as a sign of Superman's advanced age (By contrast, when was being cast, Tim Daly was unavailable and so was replaced by George Newbern). Production Inconsistencies * After Superman breaks free from Inque, Terry steps on and holds her on the ground. However, in the next scene showing both Superman and Batman, Inque is gone. * In the beginning of Part I, a civilian refers to the JLU headquarters as the "Watchtower". However, the building bears a striking resemblance to the Justice League Earth-based center of operations called Metro Tower. Moreover, in "Epilogue", Bruce tells Terry to meet Superman at the "Metro Tower". So, it is presumably the same building. * In the end of Part I, Terry is in the Batcave still in costume, but his Batsuit can be seen on display next to Nightwing's. However, this suit has always been regarded as unique, and in other episodes that display has been always empty (This also occurred in "Eyewitness" and "Out of the Past"). In the beginning of this episode, when Superman was in the Batcave, the display was empty. * When Starro first reveals himself and right before Superman uses his heat vision against the League, he becomes translucent for a frame. * If Superman is possessed from the start, why would he recruit Terry to try to find the traitor inside the League? One possible answer is that Superman was not consciously aware of Starro's control and that he was instead being manipulated subconsciously. Superman's own subconscious mind fought against Starro's control by getting his conscious mind to seek out Batman. * Whether or not Superman's heat vision is visible is a point of confusion in the animated continuity. It is usually represented as a pair of glowing red or yellow beams. However, when the young Clark Kent first demonstrates his power to his father in "The Last Son of Krypton, Part II", no beams are visible from his eyes. But in several episodes of and , notably "Eclipsed" and "Initiation", Superman and Supergirl's eyes glow red in a way visible to other characters (such as when Supergirl uses her eyes to intimidate a witness into talking). * Wayne Brady is credited for voicing Micron in Part II, even though he did not have any lines. * When Terry is going over Aquagirl's file, a picture of her father, Aquaman, can be seen. After the initial shot, the colors in the image, except for his skin, all go black. Trivia * First Appearances: Aquagirl, Warhawk, Big Barda, and Kai-Ro. * Though short, Inque's appearance on this episode makes her the only villain (not including Derek Powers unless he's Blight) to appear on more than three times. * Part I won a Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production.http://annieawards.org/29thwinners.html * The musical score playing during Batman's chase of Inque is a re-edited version of that playing in "Disappearing Inque" during their fight in the laboratory. * Part I is the third episode since "The Last Resort" and "April Moon" in which Batman does not throw a single Batarang. * Superman escapes from Inque using the same trick he used in the episode "Fun and Games" to escape from Toyman's "Dopey-Doh". * Aquagirl is voiced by Jodi Benson, the voice of Disney's Little Mermaid, Ariel (whose daughter, Melody, is voiced by Tara Strong). * Christopher McDonald later voiced Hego, a superhero on Disney's Kim Possible. Hego is a parody of Superman, having the same superstrength and built physique, but portrayed as somewhat dim-witted and given to making ridiculously obvious statements in a melodramatic tone (several such lines were written for Superman in the first season of , and were later parodied in the second season episode "A Better World, Part II"). * Though they never worked together on it, Christopher McDonald and Jodi Benson both starred in the 1997 movie, "Flubber" as Wilson Croft and the flying yellow robot, Weebo, respectively. * When Superman is chasing the Batmobile, the music is a modified version of the theme. * Terry asking if the Batmobile's top speed is "faster than a speeding bullet" is a nod to the opening narration of the Fleischer cartoons of the 1940's. Cast Uncredited Appearances * Aquaman * Mister Miracle *Preserver *Starro Quotes Call, The Call, The